Watching Aaron Judge get pulled early in the series finale between the New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins was far from ideal. However, the star slugger has now addressed his latest setback in the 2026 MLB season with an encouraging message.
An update on Judge’s injury was all fans wanted to hear after the Yankees fell 5-4 in extra innings to the Twins. Fans across MLB got their wish as manager Aaron Boone revealed the next steps for Judge. Shortly after, No. 99 looked to be in good spirits and de-escalated the anxious mood in the locker room with a confident update.
“We are still trying to ramp up, so there’s going to be little things like this that come up,” Judge said during his postgame media availability, via YES Network. “I just thought it’d be best, instead of pushing through like I normally do and might become a little worse, get somebody who’s ready to go there. Just trying to do what’s best for the team.“
With Judge’s injury taking over the headlines, rookie George Lombard Jr. picked a great day to make a costly mistake in the 13th inning and allow the lead runner a clear path to home plate. Most Yankees fans didn’t care too much, all they could think about was Judge.
Judge describes that he started feeling the lower right leg tightness in the first inning and decided to come out in the 6th to avoid costing the team. pic.twitter.com/OgHmiCjkVD
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) September 16, 2026
Judge has no interest in undergoing tests
Asked whether he expects to be evaluated for his latest lower-body setback, Judge spoke frankly. While his words tell the story, it’s the way he talked to the media after the early exit that should calm the fanbase the most. Going by his demeanor, there’s nothing to worry about with Judge.
“This just happened, I have no idea, so I’ve got no answer. I would say probably not,” Judge said when asked whether he’d get evaluated. “Yeah, I feel like you deal with this every spring training. You just start the season and when you ramp up again, things pop up, and that’s where we’ve been this whole time coming back. Hopefully it’s just one little thing and we’re back out there soon.”
Then again, one may argue he’s simply in denial, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. If it were, he should get an Oscar nomination for his leading role.
Judge is getting back to 100%
Just as he mentioned, this all feels like spring training to Judge. It feels strange to think of it that way well into September, but it’s true. Because of how long he’s been out, Judge is still getting used to MLB rhythm again.
It’s not the best situation to be in, that’s obvious, and the Yankees have been reminded of it against Minnesota. Perhaps Judge will need New York to bring in a pinch runner for him from time to time. It may stress out the fanbase, but not Judge. He’s keeping his cool and trusts the staff in the Bronx that this is the best way to go about his recovery.
Judge is going with the flow. Of course, it’s hard for fans not to get anxious when the postseason is right around the corner, but Judge is confident, and that’s all that matters. Still, it remains something to keep an eye on, and the Yanks’ decision to skip a rehab assignment is one that will be brought up as soon as something happens to Judge, even if it’s not a big deal like he’s making his latest setback look.
